I've had a FB account since sometime in the middle of my undergrad career. I was reluctant at first, and I still don't use it a lot now, but I've joined for a primary reason: I am a bad correspondent. I don't write letters on a regular basis, and I don't call my cross-country or international friends very much, if at all. Having a FB account allows me to keep in contact with them without the pressure of always having something important to say. (For this reason, idle IMing is also nice.) And, yes, I do have a lot of library coworkers friended. ^_^ However, I would not consider connecting to the library with my FB account, since I see FB as a site for personal, not public, interactions. On the other hand, there's no reason not to have an OCLS FB page in case we have fans who'd lik e to be connected that way.
Twitter is for the most part silly. Sure, random posts, out of sheer statistical logistics, are amusing some of the time, but to use Twitter seems to me like taking care of a Tamagochi, except it's mostly for vanity purposes and 5-second attention spans. It's good, say, for stalking a celebrity or spending your time talking about what you're not doing (instead of actually doing something with undivided attention). Again, the library can set up -indeed, has set up- Twitter streams for those who want to be updated on OCLS happenings. I imagine that some people, for example, want to be informed immediately about new releases. I, however, prefer to stay away from Twitter.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Learn 2.5 & IB3DVW
I'll be frank about Second Life: I think it's a bunch of bells and whistles. Don't get me wrong; it's awesome that designers can sell their virtual creations for actual monetary values, but, conversely, I don't see myself ever spending money for virtual clothing or buildings. While it may also be helpful to some students to walk around a virtual campus and speak with professors with their avatars, it does not change the content to be learned or the fact that there are less bandwidth-heavy alternatives available if you want to discuss something online. IM by itself seems like a faster method to me, and I would personally not prefer seeing a teacher's online representation of her or himself. It seems too superfluous for something like an academic discussion. Both parties inevitably engage in mutual avatar evaluation (even if silent), and that is just an awkwardness I want to avoid. As was mentioned in the presentation, people tend to create avatars who are thinner and younger than themselves, but what does that say about the self-image of the user?
On the other hand, if Second Life demonstrates that it can cause a drastic lowering of the affective filter in learners, I suppose that using it can't hurt. I would simply prefer to see things in real life or at least see actual photos of people, places, and objects. Why would I wander around a virtual world or campus to find someone at a certain location for a conversation when I could immediately connect to them through text or IM?
I am --or more accurately, was-- a WOW player. I see MMOs as vastly different from programs like Second Life, since they bring you to worlds that are not imitations of our own and center more around quests than simulated real-world communication. Second Life, to me, is like being on Facebook or MySpace with an avatar, while MMOs are undeniably games.
While I personally would not use the system, the library can definitely provide access to its resources through Second Life if it wants to. I don't think I'm backwards thinking in believing that keeping our article databases updated on our own website is a more streamlined approach to information dissemination, but if the bandwidth is readily available and people think that searching through a virtual world for a book is easier than typing in text on a library website, there's no real reason this option shouldn't be available to patrons.
As for integrating games like WOW with the library, I don't think that will be worthwhile. WOW is a fairly independent virtual world, and there are already plenty of information sources for it on the web. I also don't see the potential for contests concerning online virtual game worlds, since competition is already included in the games.
On the other hand, if Second Life demonstrates that it can cause a drastic lowering of the affective filter in learners, I suppose that using it can't hurt. I would simply prefer to see things in real life or at least see actual photos of people, places, and objects. Why would I wander around a virtual world or campus to find someone at a certain location for a conversation when I could immediately connect to them through text or IM?
I am --or more accurately, was-- a WOW player. I see MMOs as vastly different from programs like Second Life, since they bring you to worlds that are not imitations of our own and center more around quests than simulated real-world communication. Second Life, to me, is like being on Facebook or MySpace with an avatar, while MMOs are undeniably games.
While I personally would not use the system, the library can definitely provide access to its resources through Second Life if it wants to. I don't think I'm backwards thinking in believing that keeping our article databases updated on our own website is a more streamlined approach to information dissemination, but if the bandwidth is readily available and people think that searching through a virtual world for a book is easier than typing in text on a library website, there's no real reason this option shouldn't be available to patrons.
As for integrating games like WOW with the library, I don't think that will be worthwhile. WOW is a fairly independent virtual world, and there are already plenty of information sources for it on the web. I also don't see the potential for contests concerning online virtual game worlds, since competition is already included in the games.
Friday, January 9, 2009
lesson #9 the Dark Side of the Web --Internet Malware
I think the only way someone could get through life today without being the target of phishing is if that person somehow managed never to use the Internet for anything. That is to say, who hasn't been the target of phishing and encountered malware? Even Grandma and Grandpa have email today if they want to stay in touch with their kids.
My junk mailbox is full of promises about male member enlargements, offers from people who just can't wait to date me, and even a few letters from foreign princes who would give me a substantial portion of their inheritances if I would only give them my bank account information. I personally remember when a spammer was phishing through fake Paypal "urgent request"s for account verification. It was poorly written and the links (as in the presentation) had nothing to do with Paypal. Besides, if Paypal really needs to contact me, I figure they'll send several notices through snail mail, and then I'd call them with the number from their website to confirm that they need something from me. In general, I try to give out as little information as possible, and I sign up only for sites I really believe would be helpful to me; I wouldn't want my email address known by, say, Answerbag.
Malware attacked my computer when I was much newer to the 'Net. (Hurray hours of troubleshooting and scanning forums to fix the computer.) Even today, when there's a recommended but free program, I'm very reluctant to download it. I also shy away from poorly made sites, since a larger number of them are hoaxes and filled with cookies and ads that collect information about Internet travels.
Recently, I haven't had any obvious problems with malware or phishing. At the close of an Internet session, I always run two to three cleaning programs (which are free but reputable). Here's hoping I stay bug free!
Well, I'm out to delete browsing history on this computer, too, just in case.
-M
My junk mailbox is full of promises about male member enlargements, offers from people who just can't wait to date me, and even a few letters from foreign princes who would give me a substantial portion of their inheritances if I would only give them my bank account information. I personally remember when a spammer was phishing through fake Paypal "urgent request"s for account verification. It was poorly written and the links (as in the presentation) had nothing to do with Paypal. Besides, if Paypal really needs to contact me, I figure they'll send several notices through snail mail, and then I'd call them with the number from their website to confirm that they need something from me. In general, I try to give out as little information as possible, and I sign up only for sites I really believe would be helpful to me; I wouldn't want my email address known by, say, Answerbag.
Malware attacked my computer when I was much newer to the 'Net. (Hurray hours of troubleshooting and scanning forums to fix the computer.) Even today, when there's a recommended but free program, I'm very reluctant to download it. I also shy away from poorly made sites, since a larger number of them are hoaxes and filled with cookies and ads that collect information about Internet travels.
Recently, I haven't had any obvious problems with malware or phishing. At the close of an Internet session, I always run two to three cleaning programs (which are free but reputable). Here's hoping I stay bug free!
Well, I'm out to delete browsing history on this computer, too, just in case.
-M
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)